UN dismisses 'irrelevant' submissions by fugitive Nithyananda's Kailasa at Geneva meetings
London/Geneva (PTI): The UN human rights office Thursday said any submissions made by representatives of the so-called "United States of Kailasa (USK)", founded by Indian fugitive Nithyananda, at its public meetings in Geneva last week were "irrelevant" and will not be considered in the final outcome drafts.
Confirming the participation of the so-called "USK representatives" at two of its public meetings - registration to which was open to everyone, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), however, said they were prevented from distributing promotional material and their "tangential" speech was not taken into consideration.
The comments by the OHCHR spokesperson came even as videos and images showing a USK representative speaking on behalf of the fictional state on "indigenous rights and sustainable development" at one of the events went viral on social media. The two events were held on February 22 and 24.
"Registration for such public events is open to NGOs and the general public. Anyone can submit information to the treaty bodies, who will use their judgment to determine the credibility of the submissions received," the OHCHR spokesperson said when asked about their participation.
"On 24 February, at CESCR's general discussion, when the floor was opened to the public, a USK representative spoke briefly. As the focus of the statement was tangential to the topic at hand, it will not be taken into consideration by the Committee in the formulation of the General Comment," the spokesperson added.
There was no immediate comment from India's permanent mission in Geneva.
However, India's former Permanent Representative at UN, T S Tirumurti, described it as a "complete abuse" of UN procedures.
"It's a complete abuse of UN procedures to have representatives of an organisation run by a fugitive from law address the UN as NGOs or otherwise. India has been consistent in calling for a robust process to ensure that only credible NGOs get accredited. However, this call has not been heeded to," he said.
"While NGOs continue to have an important say in a range of global issues, we need to preserve the integrity of the UN, which is a member State driven organisation," the former diplomat added.
Vijayapriya Nithyananda, who claimed to be "the permanent ambassador of (so-called) the United States of Kailasa", can be seen making her intervention in videos from the event and has triggered questions over the group's involvement at sessions addressed by the likes of former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and other human rights experts.
Nithyananda, a self-proclaimed godman, is wanted in India on several charges of rape and sexual assault allegations he denies. He claims to have founded the "United States of Kailasa (USK)" in 2019 and according to its website, counts "two billion practising Hindus" among its population.
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Israel again intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists, humanitarian aid
Tel Aviv, Jul 27 (AP): The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday.
The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military “violently intercepted” the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday.
“All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade," the group said in a statement.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore.
It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June.
The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid.
A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries.
“The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognised under international law," Adalah said in a statement. “Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.”
Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status.
Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board.
Also on board were seven US citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish US war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
